John 12: 3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. 4 Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, 5 Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein. 7 Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this. 8 For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.
His public ministry was very brief, and now they were catching up to Mary's anointing by anointing His body with sweet spice oil. They were in a rush because of decomposition in the hot climate, so much that they never considered how they would gain access to the tomb. They set out in the dark and approach the tomb just as the sun was rising.
3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
The stone was not a boulder, which would have been difficult for a group of men to men. It was a lid, shaped to roll in the groove, but only with a lot of strength applied. The group realized at they reached the tomb that they did not have the manpower to open the entrance. So downhearted were they that no one considered the predictions of Jesus, that He would be arrested, tortured, and killed but rise from the dead. The quotations in Mark 8, 9, and 10 show that the disciples were not listening but trying to figure out their roles in the future.
When disaster strikes, our first question is, "How will this be solved?" One of my students wrote this week to say, "A lightning storm shut down our electricity and the Internet. I'm sorry, the assignment will be late."
I wrote back, "You have power over lightning? That is scary!"
She responded, "I laughed out loud when I read that."
These women were discussing their problem as if they could find some men to roll that stone lid in its groove, to open the grave. "Who will do that?"
4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
As Lenski noted, the stone was very large for the entrance of a rich man's burial. The stone was no longer in its groove, rolled to the side, but flat on the ground, opened with enormous force, the burial clothes inside. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was advertised for a long period of time because closing the tomb would have taken some engineering know-how to put it back in place. Lenski estimated that three men, with help from the women, would not have moved the stone lid aside. The tomb discovered near the possible site of Golgotha fits the description of the Gospel narratives. (Lenski 15:46).
It should be noted and remembered that the details of the resurrection in the Four Gospels are in harmony with each other. Any single book written, past or present, has errors and contradictions in it, even when worked over by a team of editors. Simon Greenleaf, an expert in evidence, tried to prove the errors of the four Gospels' Easter account. He only found agreement and became a Christian. The Word alone has the power to convict us of the truth.
5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.
These verses are poetic, and strike me as catechism or confession of faith statements. Like the angelic birth announcement in Luke, they have the meter of poetry or hymns or a confession of faith - short, with pauses, condensed thought rather than prose wordiness.
And entering into the sepulchre, και εισελθουσαι εις το μνημειον
they saw a young man sitting on the right side, ειδον νεανισκον καθημενον εν τοις δεξιοις,
clothed in a long white garment; περιβεβλημενον στολην λευκην
and they were affrighted. και εξεθαμβηθησαν
6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.
I can picture the pastor or the parent asking, "What did the angel say to the women?"
In one verse - so much information!
- Do not be afraid!
- You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth.
- He is risen, He is not here.
- Look at the place where they laid Him.
Fear is the opposite of faith, and it can take many disguises - depression, anxiety, procrastination, avoidance, inability to see the truth. We are easily controlled by fear, as government and think-tank studies have shown. The remedy is stated clearly by the Gospel. First - do not be afraid, followed by the reasons we should not feel anxious, depressed, stymied, or burdened with worries.
7 But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.
Why is Peter singled out in this angelic message? Roman Catholics would say, "Peter is the first Pope, and the keys were given to him, as all our books and banners say. Every church is only a church insofar as it is in agreement with us." But that is not so. Peter denied Jesus three times, and the angel is not excluding him but including him for future absolution, the three-fold address by the lake in the last chapter of John's Gospel. "Do you love Me?" "Yes, I do." "Then feed My sheep."
The post-resurrection appearances of Jesus solidified His teaching among the disciples and witnesses. That time also trained them in how they would serve as apostles training pastors in His Name.
8 And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.
Is this the end? The vast majority of manuscripts show the familiar ending of Mark's Gospel. Lenski argues for that longer ending, which is in agreement with Matthew, Luke, and John.
This ending of Mark will be discussed in The Bible Book: The KJV Reborn for Those Who Love the Word of God.
Gerhardt's Christmas Hymn expresses his constant Gospel message
